Every day I see more positive reviews about Tiger Technology. They has consistently produced solutions more advanced, better performing and at more affordable prices. In a recent Product Spotlight StorageSwiss.com’s George Crump explains in detail why Tiger Bridge Software not only solves problems for post product and rich media but is now a serious contender in the enterprise.

NAVA (National Audiovisual Archive of Hungary) constitutes the legal deposit archive of the Hungarian national broadcasters. Its scope of collection comprises the programs of the national broadcasters produced in or relating to Hungary. In addition, NAVA also maintains special collections by accepting any other audiovisual content facilitating the preservation of audiovisual content as part of the cultural heritage.
Digitizing, cataloging, and archiving such a large amount of video is a challenge in itself. But figuring a way to facilitate access to the public as quickly as possible and without a complex workflow made the challenge even greater. Indeed, figuring a way to maintain fast and transparent access to video material that also needs to be transcoded and streamed from the cloud was not obvious. Tiger Bridge proved to be the catalyst that made this demanding workflow possible.
NAVA’s basic requirement for Tiger Bridge was to use it as a cloud HSM solution. Tiger Bridge replicates and tiers (i.e. moves) data between local storage and the cloud. When data is tiered, a stub-file (i.e. a metadata pointer) is left on the local storage to maintain transparent access to content that has been moved into the cloud. Stub-files look just like regular files. And even though they occupy merely a few bytes, they report the same file size and access time of the original file. In fact, the only visible difference is the offline attribute that inform users that the content is not local. As soon as a stub-file is opened, the associated data is automatically retrieved from the cloud and put back onto the local storage. As such, and thanks to Tiger Bridge, editors that are responsible for compiling and cataloging the videos that must be archived don’t have to worry about where files are actually located (i.e. in the cloud or on local SSD storage). They simply open a file (which can be a stub-file), seek in it, and get to the end without having to first download the entire file from the cloud. Tiger Bridge allows them to continue using the library management software they were already using locally and familiar with.
Over two dozen users gain access to the local storage of Tiger Bridge server through SMB and NFS shares using standard 1GbE connections. A 10 GbE connection on the server allows NAVA to upload approximately 250 GB of audio and video files to the Microsoft Azure cloud daily. Over 1.2 million multi-bitrate video files, consuming over 110 TB of storage, have already been uploaded into the cloud. This number is expected to double within the next two years.
NAVA uses several containers for their different workflows, e.g. one container for the master files and another for the streaming files, backups, etc. The cloud storage currently consists of Microsoft Azure (hot and cold storage), as well as Interoute object storage that is compatible with the Amazon S3 standard. Tiger Bridge makes it easy for NAVA to access the same files locally or within the cloud. And because the local folder structure is identical to that inside the cloud, it is very easy for NAVA to deploy Blob storages, video transcoders and streaming media services, as well as other analytics, using Microsoft Azure, something that could have proven far more difficult otherwise.

Archiware P5 Version 5.5 is now shipping and there are quite a few updates that make this and even more desirable solution suite. Before I begin describing some of these updates it’s important to note, that this version is 64-Bit Only! That means whichever of the seven operating platforms you choose to host your P5 software it requires that it be run on a 64=Bit environment. Here is a list of the platforms it will run on:

The following are some of the new or updated features:

P5 Client to Client Synchronization without using server storage which means less overhead for your backup server.

Set archive indexes to be backed up automatically.

Ability to set multiple levels of clients including separate passwords for admin, operator, user, etc.

Archive using Pool or Object Formats.

Use the option to mirror VTL (virtual tape library) either onsite or offsite (Cloud).

Create an email with a link for sharing from within the P5 archive to provide a proxy view.

One more thing, please read the following before upgrading to P5 Version 5.5

The following notes apply to backup/archive installations where backups or archives are performed and are to be updated to version 5.5. With version 5.5, object storage in the cloud is possible with modules P5 Backup and P5 Archive. Cloud support requires a new storage structure for backup and archive volumes on disk.

Therefore, it is necessary to re-label existing but still unused volumes (labelled in an earlier version of P5). Existing backup and archive volumes with data on them can still be read.

The following instructions therefore only apply to previously unused volumes that are to be re-labeled:

Switch to media management -> Volumes area.

Select the relevant disk volumes.

Start the label process
IMPORTANT: Make sure that you only label volumes that do not contain any data (capacity = 0 bytes) or volumes whose data you no longer need.

> Switch to volume list

After the operation is completed, the newly labeled volumes of P5 Backup or P5 Archive can be used.

Archiware’s latest release of P5 delivers on the promise of Cloud support among its other features. We are happy to provide answers to your questions and evaluation software if you want to take this latest version of P5 for a spin.

Feel free to get in touch about this or any other storage related quetions.

Proper planning is required when acquiring new storage for video playback. This is true whether it’s shared or stand-alone storage.

The three areas that need to be looked at are the transport, storage capacity and budget.

Transport or How Much Bandwidth1 Do You Need?

Let’s begin by considering using Ethernet (your LAN) for streaming video. A 1Gb. Ethernet connection has a theoretical limit of 125MB/sec. The real number we have experienced is 40-45MB/sec.; not even close. That’s a huge difference between what’s theoretical and what’s delivered. The same holds true for all of the other Ethernet speeds including 10GbE, 40GbE, 50GbE and 100GbE. You will need to figure out if Ethernet can even meet your overall throughput requirements. An experienced vendor will be able to help determine what works.

Storage

The first step in choosing storage is to determine how much storage space is needed and how fast your content can be written and retrieved. It’s all about the data rate2. For example, XDCAM EX’s 35Mb/s data-rate is actually only 4.5MB/s; however multiply that times the length in seconds of your video and the numbers start to rise dramatically. In fact, when we look at the numbers for a 4k RAW stream the data rate2 can be as much as 2.5GB/sec. Storage for delivery of these higher data rates2 is much more expensive, tends to be designed to include solid state disk and is generally part of a Fiber Channel SAN (storage area network). Very few vendors speak about this fact, however the motherboards of most computers cannot deliver more than one of these streams at a time no matter how fast the storage is.

You can generally find out video codec data rate2 requirements from the camera manufacturer or in many cases by typing in the question in the browser search bar. Once these numbers are determined, they can be added up to arrive at the total bandwidth1 needed for concurrent video stream playback.

Keep in mind the throughput requirement you come up with will determine the type of storage required (LAN or SAN).

Below are a few popular codecs examples and their related speeds for playback.

AVCHD 1080p at 30 fps – 3MB/s

XDCAM EX 1080p at 30 fps – 4.5MB/s

ProRes 422 HQ 2k at 24 fps – 25MB/s

REDCODE36 RAW 4K at 24 fps – 36MB/s

Budget

In general the faster you want to deliver video the more expensive it can get. Today there are many newer cameras delivering very high definition (4k for example) through newer codecs that do not require the original raw speeds. These newer codecs provide a compression algorithm which allows for lower playback speed and a smaller amount of storage. Even so, you need to do the math and consider how much content is to be stored on fast disk and how much nearline disk for quick access.

Let us help you to custom design a solution that meets your needs.

Simple Glossary:

Bandwidth: Bandwidth is the connection speed to the content. This connection controls your ability to retrieve and play back video.

Data Rate: The Data rate (or bit rate) is the size of the video file per second of data, usually expressed in kilobits, megabits or megabytes per second.

]]>http://creativebt.com/storage/share-expand-storage/feed/075Thunderbolt™ aka “Light Peak” by Intelhttp://creativebt.com/connectivity/thunderbolt-aka-light-peak-by-intel/
http://creativebt.com/connectivity/thunderbolt-aka-light-peak-by-intel/#respondFri, 30 Sep 2016 22:55:04 +0000http://christine.creativebt.com/?p=45Thunderbolt represents a connectivity technology developed by Intel Corporation meant to connect external peripherals. It was originally introduced as “Light Peak” at an Intel Developer Forum running on Mac OS X. Its original incarnation was that of an optical interface; however that was changed to electrical in order to lower its cost and add the capability of carrying up to 10 watts of power to connected devices. The technology was even faster than USB 3.0 (4.8Gbps.). In fact, Light Peak could provide up to 10Gbps. (10 gigabits/second) in both directions simultaneously. Since its beginning, many have hoped that Thunderbolt would be the secret sauce to not only deliver speed but also a shared storage medium. It should be mentioned, that the architecture was never designed to support shared storage.

In early 2011 Apple became the first to introduce this technology in their new line of MacBook Pro notebook computers and tagged the technology to be commercially known as “Thunderbolt”.

Since its earlier introduction we have seen several iterations of this technology. In June 2013 Intel announced Thunderbolt 2 that would allow aggregation between two previously separate 10 Gbps into a combined speed of 20 Gbps.

Thunderbolt 3 was introduced in 2015 and was developed by Intel in its Israeli division. It uses a USB-c plug and allows up to 40Gbps (5GB/s) streaming. Thunderbolt 3 allows backwards compatibility with the first two versions by the use of adapters or transitional cables. Devices with Thunderbolt 3 interfaces began shipping in 2015 and include notebooks running Microsoft Windows various manufacturers.

The new Intel controller supports PCIe 3.0 and other protocols, including HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort 1.2 (allowing for 4K resolutions at 60 Hz). By virtue of being an Alternate Mode of USB Type-C, Thunderbolt 3 ports implement USB Power Delivery, allowing the ports to source or sink up to 100 watts of power, which allows companies to eliminate the separate power cable from some devices.

Intel has released 3 versions of its controller as follows:

“DP” version that uses a PCIe 3.0 ×4 link to provide two Thunderbolt 3 ports (DSL6540)

“SP” version that uses a PCIe 3.0 ×4 link to provide one Thunderbolt 3 port (DSL6340)

This follows previous practice, where higher-end devices such as the second-generation Mac Pro, iMac, Retina MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini use two-port controllers; while lower-end, lower-power devices such as the MacBook Air use the one-port version.

About Thunderbolt attached storage….

In late 2011, Promise Technology introduced Pegasus R4 (4-drive0 & R6 (6-drive) enclosures focused on the prosumer and professional market, initially offering up to 12TBs of storage and later up to 18TBs. Believe it or not these early product releases came to a standstill when floods in Thailand (largest country involved in hard drive manufacturing) created a shortage in hard drive availability and drove prices up. What was already a pricey product became out of reach for most.

As of 2012 a few companies such as Sonnet Technology and Drobo began to have Thunderbolt related products; however the marketplace was still developing slowly.

Today in 2016 there are many Thunderbolt based products and more coming every day. Of interest, here’s a link to a Thunderbolt Brief provided by our partner, ATTO Technology click here.

Although Thunderbolt was never meant as a shared storage technology many have crafted solutions with that aim in mind hoping to capture a relatively untouched niche market.

To date, I personally have not seen much success in creating shared storage for media and entertainment via Thunderbolt. This may be changing soon but for the moment the results I have seen or heard about leave something to be desired. For more information or to discuss your experiences with Thunderbolt, I invite you to get in touch.

The distinction between choosing a SAN (storage area network) or a NAS for (network attached storage/server) storage has become somewhat blurred because of the increased performance now possible over Ethernet. These two technologies for shared storage each have their pros and cons.

Fiber Channel (FC) is a point-to-point express lane compared to Ethernet, a topology that most of us are familiar with. The packaging of data over FC contains much less of a requirement than a standard Ethernet data packet which is based on a protocol called TCP IP or IP (Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol). As the speed capabilities of Ethernet LANs increase, so do the possibilities of supporting video.

An analysis of your streaming requirements will be based on the codecs you are using today along with how many concurrent playback streams you will need. This number will lead to establishing a base requirement for your data rate.

In addition to the above, a review of your current workflow, infrastructure and budget will help to establish a plan moving forward for what’s best, SAN or NAS. It’s our pleasure to help you plan for what you need to meet your requirements today as well as provide a road map for evolving your shop to accommodate future growth. Your success is our goal.